Monroe Lee Wortham, born to Earl and Etta Wortham, on December 2, 1927, on a farm outside of
Kinta, Oklahoma. He was the embodiment of the grit and determination that came out of the hard work of farm life and the resilience of growing up during the Great Depression. Monroe was grateful for parents who nurtured his faith in Christ and oversaw his being a part of the Body of Christ through faithful church attendance. His father's nurturing and guiding hand gave him the discipline and tenacity that shaped him as a young man. That served him well after he lost his father soon after returning from Army service in occupied Japan after the end of WWII.
Having served as an Army mechanic, he returned home intending to employ those skills. However, his brother, Marion, insisted that he was going to be his college roommate at Northeastern Oklahoma College; a decision that changed the trajectory of his life. He met and married his love, Thelma Jean Buckner, at a church concert. They dedicated themselves to their undergraduate and masters degree in Education.
Beginning their teaching careers, they began to establish a family with their two sons, Ron and Don. Monroe and Jean worked together as a team in raising their children and life centered around church, education, school activities, and sports. Encouraging their sons in their youth endeavors and watching them excel into adulthood was a source of great joy.
The family moved to
Lawton, Oklahoma where Jean taught and Monroe served as principal in several schools, most notably at Pecan Grove Elementary School. Later in life they moved to Tulsa where Monroe served as a principal with the Tulsa Public Schools. He enjoyed working with children and motivating them to be their best as well as their parents to participate in making the schools to be best.
In his retirement years Monroe enjoyed raising cattle, training horses and dogs. Monroe and Jean were dedicated to pouring themselves into their grandchildren, as they had done with their sons. They were faithful to attend every event and encourage them from the sidelines, teaching some of life's most important lessons along the way – "never give up", which was also his own motto in life.
Ever a strong disciplinarian, and never intimidated by life's challenges, Monroe was resilient yet gentle in spirit. Careful not to crush the spirit of others through harsh words, he strove to guide and lead through encouragement (but never sparing the paddle). Passionate about people and music, he loved to travel and meet people. In his later years, even into his 90's, he took great delite in loading up his stand-up bass fiddle into his truck to join the Old Time Fiddlers group to play in local nursing homes for the joy of the "old folks".
Monroe was preceded in death by his parents Earl and Henryetta Wortham; his wife of nearly 50 years, Thelma Jean Wortham; brothers Manuel, Murl, Melvin, Mitchell, and Marion Wortham. He is survived by sons Ron Wortham (Lee Ann) and Don Wortham (Margo), and grandchildren John Wortham, Emily Mattocks (Mason), Carolyn Mattson (Nick) and Rob Wortham (Ashley); great-grandchildren Grant, Elizabeth, and Anna Mattocks; brother Marlin Wortham, and sister, Mildred Stankewitz. Monroe's family is especially grateful for the friendship of Lynn Grobschmit, whose care and dedication brought such joy and happiness to Monroe.
The family requests that any donations in memory of Monroe be given to "Tunnel to Towers Foundation" at https://t2t.org/ that benefits wounded military and first responders. We are grateful for a wonderful dad and grandfather who loved us well and will forever be with us in our hearts.
To view Monroe's service remotely from your computer please use the following link: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/85267